Talented & Gifted Program

Beth Novick-TAG Coordinator bnovick@pgcps.org

Hello and Welcome to the Talented and Gifted Magnet Center.

The mission of the Magnet Program for Talented and Gifted students at Kenmoor Middle School is to respond to the needs of students who excel in specific academic areas, exhibit high performance capability in intellectual, creativity and leadership skills, or show the potential for performing at remarkably high levels of accomplishment when compared with other students of similar age, experience or environment. TAG students come from all social-economic, demographic and ethnic groups.

The TAG program offers full-day instruction under the guidance and supervision of highly trained teachers. The curriculum is accelerated and enriched with experiences to meet the unique and specialized needs of high achievers. Program features include flexible instructional pacing, foreign language and enrichment experiences designed to enhance the educational experience for all students in the school, as well as those who are specifically part of the TAG classes.

Kenmoor MIddle School Tag Program : https://youtu.be/syBpY-m19n0

PGCPS TAG Identification Procedures

Request for Screening

As specified by the National Gifted Program Standards, the process of TAG identification is built on the use of multiple criteria designed to balance the objective (quantitative) and the subjective (qualitative) measures of giftedness. Furthermore, global aptitude testing of all grade 1 and all grade 3 students allows all students to have an opportunity to be nominated for the TAG program. There are multiple opportunities for TAG identification at different grade levels.

Identification in Grades 3 Through 8

According to the TAG Administrative Handbook guidelines, the second global ability testing through OLSAT is administered to all grade 3 students to identify any grade 3 students who could be additionally nominated for TAG screening. Similar to grade 1 and 2 procedures, there are three ways a student can be nominated:

• A student may be nominated through a test nomination if the student’s score on OLSAT is above the 89th percentile. Another test score that can be used as a basis for nomination is the TerraNova Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (CTBS) that is administered in grade 2. If both reading and mathematics subtest scores on TerraNova are higher than the 89th percentile, a student must be nominated for TAG screening.

• A teacher may nominate a student based on observation using the Behavior Checklist scores for any student with an OLSAT score no lower than the 65th percentile.

• Parents too may nominate their children for TAG screening. The same conditions apply.

For students in grade 4 and higher, all testing for TAG nomination is administered on an individual basis. As a rule, a student seeking TAG identification is administered an age appropriate version of OLSAT. (Administrative Handbook, p.25). In rare cases, when a high school student wants to be nominated for the TAG program, she or he will be administered a School College Ability Test (SCAT).

With identification of students in grades 3 and higher, report card grades and achievement test scores are collected for a student’s nomination (Administrative Handbook, p.25). Any documentation available for the ELL students (ESOL) or special education students (IEP) is also taken into consideration. Decisions on identification are made by the school advisory committee and are submitted for approval to the TAG office.

Selections for screening are based on the following two paths:

Path one: A student is identified for the TAG program based on a total score of at least 26 points on ability testing and/or achievement testing as well as scores on the teacher checklist and report cards.

Path two: Multiple conditions exist for identification for path two. With a total score of at least 19 points on the identification matrix, a student is identified for the TAG program

• if his/her ability test scores are very high (95% to 99%) and

• if both achievement test subtest scores are high (at least at the 89%) and a behavioral checklist has high scores (58 to 64 points), or

• both ability test scores are high (at least at the 80 percentile) and a behavioral checklist has high scores (58 to 64 points), or

• a students is ELL and is in ESOL, or

• a student has a learning disability and has an IEP.

In conclusion, the TAG identification process represents a complex, highly structured procedure. The nomination includes several components: an objective measure: (ability test or achievement test) to identify the initial pool of applicants, and a subjective measure based on the teacher’s observation of students’ classroom performance - teacher (or parent) Behavioral Checklist to evaluate a student’s learning ability, creativity, and task commitment. The procedure gives all students an opportunity to be nominated for theTAG program irrespective of their test taking ability. Report card grades are used as an additional measure of academic performance. Furthermore, students who enter the system at a later time are given an opportunity either to be identified for the TAG program later, or to have their previous out-of-system school identification results reviewed.

Withdrawal from TAG

Once a student is identified as TAG and is academically successful in elementary or middle school, he/she is not formally re-evaluated. However, some TAG students may experience academic or social difficulties in the program. Each year performance of such TAG students is discussed at the school instructional team meetings with the purpose of establishing an action plan. If a student has low grades and continues to be unsuccessful in the program, the school-based TAG advisory committee develops an Individual Student Academic Plan for the student. The plan becomes a formal step in the process of possible withdrawal from the TAG program. A student’s progress is periodically reviewed during the nine-week period. If the student continues to be unsuccessful, she or he will be withdrawn from the TAG program